“Whenever we can, we look for innovations to make it easier for our customers to ride our system,” said TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane. “This will truly be a convenient and faster option for our riders to buy and use tickets. It’s also exciting to be working with a local firm on this endeavor.”

And with more than 300,000 trips taken each day, TriMet will put GlobeSherpa’s platform to the test.

“We’re delighted to be working with TriMet to power their new mobile ticketing service,” said Nat Parker, CEO of GlobeSherpa. “Smartphone applications that leverage open data have transformed the transit sector. We’re taking that innovation even further by allowing users to buy tickets, with no exact change or ticket vending machines required.”

TriMet and GlobeSherpa will launch an Alpha test of the platform through December, with a Beta test expected to begin in January and a full public launch in the spring 2013. In mid-December, TriMet will recruit a cross section of riders to participate in the Beta test.

[…] Startups often have a big vision—a big problem they’re going to solve. But when it comes to Portland Seed Fund alum GlobeSherpa, their vision is a doozy. They’re on a mission to fix ticketing for public transit and parking. Like everywhere. But they’ve started with TriMet ticketing right here in Portland. […]